I saw the movie based on the book a few months ago and enjoyed it. Having now read the book, I realize all they left out and grieve for the type of movie it could've been. But I guess New Line was afraid a children's fantasy film about taking down the church and killing god would more than raise a few eyebrows from America's well-organized Christian community. Pity.
I really...
more I saw the movie based on the book a few months ago and enjoyed it. Having now read the book, I realize all they left out and grieve for the type of movie it could've been. But I guess New Line was afraid a children's fantasy film about taking down the church and killing god would more than raise a few eyebrows from America's well-organized Christian community. Pity.
I really connected with Lyra, the precocious 12-year-old orphan and main character. Ten or so years ago, she would've been my favorite character Of All Time – a child who rarely listens to her elders, prefers dirty clothes to dressing up, and spends most of her time playing with a gang of similar ruffians? My hero!
And Pullman's word choice shines throughout. He takes words we relate to evil and redefines them. A deamon is no longer a creature of the devil – it's a human's soul, which takes physical form in the shape of animals. Zombies aren't undead creatures of the night; they're humans who've been separated – the invisible connection between a man and his soul cut – from their daemons. They're technically alive but are indifferent to everything around them and incapable of thinking for themselves.
In Lyra's world, which is similar to ours, deamons are dear creatures, and men without them are considered grotesque, pitiable, and less-than human. During adolescence, these deamons change shape – from birds to cats, cats to fish, etc. – coming to a fixed form only after their human has, in essence, grown up.
One of my favorite groups from the book were the Gyptians, who are like our gypsies. They played a much smaller part in the movie, but their people and rituals made for some of the best characters, and helped explain a little bit about Lyra's past.
The Magesterium (church) has discovered elementary particles, called dust, which they believe to be the physical manifestation of original sin. This dust is only attracted to adults – because children haven't matured, they're free of dust, free of sin. So to preserve this innocence, the church begins operating on children – by separating them from their daemons (making them into zombies), the children will remain dust-free. Dust seems to represent knowledge, wisdom, consciousness itself - things that come with maturity. You become more aware of yourself, the world, and your place in it with knowledge, and knowledge comes with age.
I won't give away the "ah-ha!" moments in the book, but I will say I felt very comfortable with the message from this first book. The Magesterium cuts humans from their deamons by elimating dust, the same way churches can separate men from their souls. Some people need the church, need the structure, the guidance – they need to be zombies. But there are some who are more whole, more knowledgeable, more aware without its interference.
I definitely thrive with the connections to both my daemon and dust intact.
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